AIR
by Luna Silvereyes
Summary: Before Yukito. Before Misuzu. Yukito's mother said that she was unable to save the girl once she met her. But who was that girl? How did they meet and what was his mother able to do before the inevitable end? How does it feel to be totally useless?
1. Prelude

AIR

A/N: This story follows the AIR plotline, but through Yukito's mother's perspective as she took her own journey to find the girl in the sky. I caution people who haven't seen the series, as there will be inevitable spoilers in here. You have been warned.

Prelude

_How I wish I could have shared this story with my child before my passing. It is unfortunate. He will have such a great disadvantage on his journey to find the girl. When I departed on my journey with my puppets, I knew almost everything there was to know about the girl, thanks to my grandfather's writings. My mother had also met the girl and like me, was unable to save her. She told me all about the girl, her likes, her dislikes, and how she desperately wanted to see the ocean. And, again like me, she was never able to take her there. _

_Yukito, my only child. He is our hope of saving her. Our goal, strived for over a thousand years, may finally be attained at last. And with this joyous news, may our spirits finally find solace in the afterlife. Once there, we may finally meet the one we have sought to protect for so long, and to continue to protect those precious wings once more. _

_But for now, I regret not having had the courage to lay down such a heavy burden on such a tender, innocent body. Though I fought so much, my entire body and soul reveling in such a true and wondrous quest, I somehow could not bring myself to pass this quest unto my precious child. And so I selfishly put it off until I knew our time together was very limited, telling him only vague, necessary details needed to find the girl again. Looking into his sweet little face, I knew he would listen to my every word. I knew his magical abilities were very weak and undernourished. He simply didn't have the stamina to manipulate the puppets like our ancestors had. As magical beings fell in love with and married non-magical beings, our powers watered down and eventually reached Yukito, who possesses very little magical ability, only enough to move the puppet as he so chooses. I feel that he may be our last hope, for it grieves me to realize that our family's power will one day dwindle away to nothing, and the girl in the sky will forever remain as such, unheard, unseen and continuing to reincarnate into eternity, forever suffering, forever alone, forever perishing before her time. _

_Perhaps Yukito will be the one to save her before that terrible fate should befall us all. _

_But for now, before my time arrives and I listen to my few remaining family members weeping around me, I shall take this time to relive my own journey. And so I go back…back…back to the day that I arrived. _

_To the day we met. _

A/N: This is the first chapter of my own AIR series. Yes, Times of Change is coming, yes Of Promises and Perseverance is coming, no, The First Wave may not be coming. I didn't get a good response to it, so I'll probably delete it. But I was disappointed to see how few AIR stories there are and I've had this idea, so I decided to do something with it. Please tell me what you think. I'll try to have Times of Change updated by this weekend if I have time. Promise.


	2. Arrival

A/N: This is the first chapter to my AIR story. Oh, and does anyone know what Yukito's mom's name was? I tried to find it. If no one knows, I'll hold a contest with five names and you can vote on the name you like.

Arrival

It was a quaint little coastal town. I remember it very well. I got off the train and pushed my way through the crowd to try to find a vending machine. I couldn't remember ever having been so thirsty in my life. I suppose a three-hour train ride will do that to you. I was somewhat headstrong then and I recall Mother's advice, to bring drinks with me in order to save money. Of course, I didn't listen. I was too eager to set out. I was so eager, I never even said goodbye to my arranged fiancée. But it didn't matter. He knew our family well enough to understand my urgency. And he was patient. I knew he would wait for me.

So there I arrived, surrounded by legions of people, all of whom were faceless strangers to me. I felt uncomfortable with my heavy bag, sheathed sword and guitar case. It was a lot to carry, but all of it was absolutely necessary. The guitar supplied the music for my shows. The bag carried necessities and my precious puppets. The puppets would earn me a living to survive on while I searched. I carried one special puppet with me, the first puppet I ever learned to manipulate. It was a little old doll with a red hat and white wings sewn into its back. This was the puppet Uraha first made in order to practice her own talent. This puppet was passed from generation to generation as a starting point. I carried it to remind me of my purpose. Finally, the sword was a priceless heirloom, passed down through the generations, starting with my many times great-grandmother Uraha. The sword belonged to her husband, Ryuya, the first guardian of the Girl with Wings. The sword served as both protection and courage for me.

Even despite my age, then, I was quite gifted in the ways of puppetry. My only challenge was attracting people to listen and watch.

I decided to start a practice run right there at the station. I made my way over to an unoccupied bench and set my things down. I opened my case and spread a large blue cloth on the ground to prevent filth from reaching the puppets. Then, I took three of the dozen or so puppets out: a lion, a prince and a princess. These three were my key act. I had others, but they required more practice before I could rely on them. I set them in their various positions, took out my guitar and tuned it. I took my time, because this simple act would attract the eye of passerby and I had to rely on their levels of curiosity to bring them close enough to see what I was doing. I only needed one person. Their laughter would attract more as time went on.

At last, just when I knew I couldn't tune my guitar anymore, I heard cautious footsteps approaching me. I spared the tiniest, friendly glace and returned my gaze to my instrument. I didn't say anything to this child. I wasn't hopeful. The child had probably wandered from his parents and they'd become mad at me for trying to entice their child to watch a street performance.

But even as I prepared to play, no one came demanding their child back. It occurred to me that he might even be traveling alone, visiting relatives. With this reassuring thought, I smiled at him and focused my gaze on the dolls, strumming the strings and allowing a pure, soft note to echo forth.

Instantly, all of the hustle and bustle of the train station evaporated. All that existed were the dolls, the little boy and myself. I felt the familiar connection as the invisible hands our powers relied on picked up the dolls like a child would, making them stand and wave fondly at the boy, who beamed and laughed in excitement at their movement. Contrary to what you might believe, I didn't control the hands. They controlled the dolls, but I sort of coexisted with these hands and we worked together to create a little show.

The prince took the princess's arm and twirled her around in a dance. But he accidentally let go of her hand and she fell back with a _plop_! The princess got back to her feet and chased the poor clumsy prince all around the blanket while I played a merry tune and the boy laughed at their funny antics. By now, a few other people had heard his hysterics and come over to see what all the fuss was about. I now had them chuckling behind their hands as well.

Enter the lion. The lion bounds in and bobs his head, rearing on his hind legs and pantomiming a roar. The princess ducks behind the prince and the prince tries to back away from the lion. The princess pushes him forward and the prince stands before the lion, shaking. The lion pounces and the prince bounds away with the lion in hot pursuit, running circles around the disgruntled princess.

Several other people have joined my tiny crowd by now and all are watching excitedly as the prince continues to run from the lion while the princess acts of yelling at the prince to toughen up and face the beast.

Finally, the princess pushes the prince over and faces the lion. The lion roars and the princess bends back slightly as though a powerful breeze has struck her. She puts her hands on her hips, stares at the lion and then begins to bounce and jump crazily all around the animal. The lion cowers back and then turns and retreats to the edge of the blanket, falling onto his side. The princess nods in triumph and marches over to the prince who gets up, scratching his head in embarrassment. The princess makes as though to scold him and he runs away from her in fear.

As my prince and princess disappear behind my case, the crowd had begun to applaud and laugh simultaneously. I smile at them as they crowd forward and drop coins on the blanket. I try to thank each person in turn as they begin to dissipate.

Finally, I was alone. I looked down at the money I'd received. Already I could tell that I'd be able to get by on this for about a week. Not too bad a start.

I started to put my things away. As I did, I heard someone running toward me and looked up just in time to see a young girl slip on a corner of my blanket and fall flat on her face in front of me. When the paper bills settled and I was able to open my eyes, I stared down at her. She didn't move. Her long auburn hair had somehow gotten caught in the strings of my guitar I'd dropped seconds before she plowed into my things. Her hair was held into a partly pulled back ponytail by a little cat charm. The rest of her hair hung freely and splayed halfway down her back, what little of it wasn't caught in the strings. Though I couldn't see her face, I judged her to be about thirteen or fourteen.

"Um…" I said. "Are…you okay?"

She groaned and raised her head up, looking up at me irritably. Her eyes were bright blue.

"Get the number of that tank, would you?" she mumbled before plunking her head back down again.

I didn't know it then, but that was to be the start of a most unusual summer, one I would always remember.

A/N: Okay, the sequel to OLAA, OPAP is currently being worked on. Because I changed the first one, I needed to rewrite the second one. I'll update it within the week. Times of Change is also being worked on. I'm kinda running my own fiction factory here, so be nice. ^_^ I hope you enjoyed this chapter.


	3. City

A/N: Okay, here's the next chapter. Meggi of Mysteri OusStranger was the one who gave Yukito's mother her name. I hope you like this chapter. I tried to put in a little humor.

City

I bought the girl a can of soda and watched as she drank it slowly, rubbing her forehead where she'd landed on the concrete.

"My head hurts." She complained.

"Well, you fell pretty hard, there." I told her. "Do you need anything?"

She shook her head and gave me a half-smile. "Nah. I'm good. Sorry about what happened. Didn't mean to plow into you like that."

"Don't worry about it. I was about to pack up, anyway." I said. "But what were you hurrying for?"

She sighed. "I was trying to catch a lady and give her purse back."

She held up a beaten old black bag.

"But I guess I'll have to give it to lost and found."

"That's too bad." I said quietly.

"I'll get over it. By the way, my name's Komori Miyazaki. What's yours?"

I started at the rushing of formality.

"I'm Kumiko…Kumiko Ichibana." I said.

"Cute name." Komori said with a smile. "But you don't look like you're from around here. Traveling?"

"You could say that," I told her. "I'm…a traveling magician."

Her eyes about bugged out of her head and she drew in a deep breath.

"Wow! That's so cool!" she exclaimed. She sighed and stared up at the sky. "I wish I could do magic. My cousin can do magic, but we don't get along too well." She said regretfully.

I nodded, not really listening to her. I still needed to concentrate on finding a cheap hotel or something before moving on. I'd only been on the road for a week. The chances that Komori was the Girl in the Sky were pretty slim. Besides, except for clumsiness, she didn't really fit the criteria. In all of my mother's stories, the girl was clumsy, whimsical, and often had an obsession over something trivial. From what I could see, Komori had none of that.

"Well," I said, shouldering my bags. "I should probably find a hotel. I'll be here for a few days."

I meant to walk away, but Komori jumped up.

"Wait, Kumi!" she called. I stopped, frowning. _Kumi?_

"What did you just call me?" I asked, turning around.

"Kumi. It's short for Kumiko." She said as if it were the plainest thing in the world. I turned fully, staring at her.

"Well, what is it?"

She appeared awkward for a moment and then smiled again. "Hotels around here are expensive and flea baggy." She declared. She seemed to have a fondness for making up words.

"So?"

"So, instead, how about you stay with me and dad and you won't have to pay a cent! Your rent will be a performance for us!"

I was rather hesitant to accept. Komori was a little odd.

"What would your parents think?" I asked her. "I mean, you just met me. You don't know anything about me other than my name, that is."

"Well, mom's away on business. She's the owner of this company that makes flavored rice balls. Dad's a bit of a perv, but other than that, he's okay."

I froze up at her father's description. Komori noticed and smiled, waving her hands back and forth.

"No, no, I mean he just likes to watch girls walk by the house. As far as I know, that's all he does! Really!"

"As far as you know?" I muttered. Komori nodded. "Yup. I've seen him in action. But he's nice. Otherwise mom wouldn't have married him."

She started to laugh. I could only sigh at her idiocy.

"I apologize," I said, getting to my feet, "But I'll just find a motel."

Komori's face fell. "But what about the flea-bagginess?" she persisted.

"I've seen much worse." I assured her with a smile. She sighed in defeat.

"Well, at least let me show you around town. This is a big city and it's easy to get lost if you don't know where you're going."

Something told me she wasn't going to give up easily, so I allowed myself to agree to follow her.

She got me a cart for my bag and guitar case and once we got outside the station, shaded her eyes and stared up at the sky.

"Pretty today. Might be a good day to go swimming."

I blinked. "Swimming?"

"Yeah. I told you, mom owns this big company, so we live in a huge house and it even has a pool. But I don't always use it."

"Why?" I asked.

"Because it usually rains every day. We live in a very rainy place."

She then took my guitar case and skipped off down the street, leaving me to stare bewilderedly after her.

"What an odd girl." I muttered.

//ooo//

Further into the city, I began to understand how one could get lost here. There were so many twists turns and cutoffs, a country girl like me would never find her way out. The fashions were also quite strange. And the people didn't appear all that friendly at all. Komori noticed my discomfort.

"Don't worry, Kumi." She said. "The people here are great. You just have to know whom to avoid. Take those guys staring at us a ways back. They're dealers. But they don't usually bother anyone in the daytime when there're too many witnesses. In fact, they're downright helpful during the day, so if you get lost, feel free to ask them where you are."

I didn't say anything. What could I say? This girl talked about clearly dangerous people like they were close friends and neighbors she'd known her whole life.

"That building there is where mom works. She's usually busy and doesn't always have time to talk to dad or me. In fact, it gets so busy, she set up a little living space up there so she could sleep between conferences."

This was said with some reserve to her voice. I wondered if Komori had a good relationship with her mother.

We stopped in the middle of a bridge and she pointed out.

"That's the seawall. I'm a sketch artist, so I like to sit there and sketch boats, the water, the clouds, anything. Whenever I can, that is. I love the beach, but I never get to go down there."

"Why's that?"

"The water around here is polluted." She pouted. She looked down at my hands carrying my bag and that's when she noticed my engagement ring.

"How gorgeous!" she exclaimed, dropping my guitar and clasping her hands together. I was about to protest about the mishandling of my instrument, but she'd grabbed my hand and was examining the ring closely.

"You're getting married!" she exclaimed.

"Yes." I said uncomfortably. "An arranged marriage back home."

"Is he cute?" Komori asked, giving me the eye. I recoiled.

"What kind of question is that? I don't know him very well. We only just met last month!" I cried. Komori sighed.

"Same old, same old. I wish I had a boyfriend. But the boys around here are all the same; either drugged up or complete idiots who want to get drugged up, but can't afford it."

I could only blink and stare. "Nice neighborhood." I mumbled. She whirled.

"And that ain't the half of it!" she yelled, scowling. "My cousin, Nanami says that the boy who lives next to her is just as perverted as my dad! Do you want to know how?"

"Uh…." This brilliant statement was all she gave me time to say.

"Nanami caught him trying to carve out a peephole in her bathroom wall! But—" She started to snicker hysterically, "It wasn't her bathroom, it was her dad's!"

By now, while she erupted in laughter, I was disturbed beyond all reason. Yeah, I was totally sure that Komori was NOT the girl I was searching for.

Komori grabbed my hand and tugged me along.

"Lets' go! I want you to meet my dad!" she said. I tried to pull away.

"But wait, I don't exactly—"

"Aw, don't be shy! Maybe you'll even change your mind about not staying with us when you see the guest rooms!"

At that moment, I knew I'd long since lost this battle. I tried to think in a positive manner as we reached a fabulous estate and she rang the bell, dragging me inside and leaving me standing before a grand staircase. At least if I did have to stay with the Miyazaki family, I'd save a little money that would otherwise go toward cheap hotels and bland tea.

Of course, this was before I met Komori's father.

A/N: Please pardon my brain. It seems to be doing weird things at the moment. Anyways, I hope you liked it. Drop me a review if you get the chance. ^_^


	4. Kanae

A/N: Here's where we meet Komori's parents. Also, I hope you like the special little cliffie I've put in at the bottom. Hehehe.

Kanae

"All right! My baby girl finally made a friend!"

"Yeah! And Kumi's real nice and she does magic and stuff! Can she stay here?" Komori begged her dad as he bounded around the main hall in a traditional robe and slippers. His stringy brown hair and blue eyes definitely reminded me of his daughter. They were even similar in personalities.

"By all means!" Mr. Miyazaki bellowed. He gathered Komori and myself up into a huge bear hug that about broke my ribs and then dropped us, Komori laughing. He then held out his hand to me as though he hadn't just horrendously invaded my personal space.

"The name's Renmaru Miyazaki. Just call me Ren. Everyone else does." He said cheerfully. I shook his head somewhat cautiously and he noticed this and started to chuckle.

"I see Komori told you about my little quirk." He said.

"No, no, I mean…uh," I tried to say, knowing it was hopeless and that any excuse I made would be shoddy and pathetic.

"Don't worry, I'm not insulted, Kumi. Most everyone knows about it and I don't mind in the slightest. Why should you be any different?"

He smiled probably the most winning smile I'd ever seen. I wondered if that's how he met his wife. I nodded and swallowed uncomfortably.

"Well, I'll start cleaning, then. Komori, why don't you take Kumiko to the guest room?"

"Right!" Komori declared. She grabbed my hand and tugged me toward the stairs. "Lets' go!" she cried.

I felt like I was in a daze as she almost literally dragged me up the stairs and toward a room at the far end of the hall.

"This is going to be your room, Kumi." She said. She opened the fine oak door and ushered me in. I made my way in slowly, taking in the details. It was a beautifully decorated room with a dresser and desk in the corner, a closet and a bed covered in lavender coverlets and pillows. I glanced at Kumi.

"I don't feel comfortable here." I told her.

"Why not?" she asked. She didn't get it. I wasn't used to this. She'd grown up around this type of atmosphere so it was all normal to her.

But before I could answer, she suddenly grinned and grabbed my hands.

"No time to rest! I got a great idea of where we can hang out for the next few days!"

"H-huh?" again my brilliant answers.

"Well," she said, putting a finger to her forehead, "Not for the next few days. When I get my allowance, I'll treat you to the best ramen you've ever tasted down at Shiitake's! Whadoyasay!?"

I blinked and made a strange noise. "Um, sure, I guess."

Komori gasped and pulled away. "Oh no. Don't tell you me you don't like ramen!" she cried.

"No, no, I love ramen. But why are you going to treat me? I just made a bunch of money today so I can buy for you, if you'd let me."

Komori hesitated. It was the first time I'd seen her speechless.

"I just want to buy you ramen. To make up for my plowing into you earlier." She said with a tilt of her head.

"But I—"

Somewhere in the house, a clock started to ring and Komori whined.

"Aw, dang it. I'm late for cram school." She mumbled.

"Cram school?" I questioned. Komori nodded. "Yeah. Mom makes me. My grades really aren't all that good."

With that, she turned and hurried off into another room which I assumed belonged to her. She stuck her head out the doorway.

"If you're hungry, help yourself to anything in the fridge. Once I change, I've gotta get going." She said.

I felt immensely more uncomfortable as I stood there in the hallway after she'd shut the door. This was way too much to dwell on, but I was hungry and since she'd given me permission, I decided to try to find my way to the kitchen.

Easier said than done.

//ooo//

After three wrong turns both leading to the back door and one confusing hallway leading to what appeared to be a bathroom, I wound up back in the front hall.

"Yeah, I'm lost." I mumbled. I hadn't seen Komori for over an hour and I figured she'd already left assuming I'd found my way to the kitchen like she told me.

As I stood stupidly in the middle of the room trying to figure out what to do next, I jumped when the front door clicked. Someone was coming in. I frantically searched for a place to hide as the thought that it would do no good popped into my head.

The door opened and a middle-aged woman with blonde hair wearing a business suit stepped inside and closed the door. She sighed, looked up and stared directly at me.

"Um, who are you and what are you doing in my house?" she asked, more curiously than angrily. I mentally slapped myself out of my frozen reflex and bowed.

"S-Sorry, my name is Kumiko Ichibana. Your daughter, Komori invited me to stay with your family. I assume you're Mrs. Miyazaki." I said clumsily.

"Hm." The lady said. She took her shoes off by the door and undid her little ponytail. "That's interesting."

I just watched as she wandered across the hall and into another room. A few minutes later, she came back wearing blue jeans and a fluffy red sweater. She glanced at me blankly.

"So, you're Kumiko Ichibana." She said. "I must say, it's a little unusual that Komori would invite you over to stay with us, seeing as I've never seen you before in my life."

"Well, ma'am, I'm sort of new to town. I travel, putting on puppet shows for children."

She actually smiled a little at me when I said this.

"I see." She said. What exactly did she see?

"I won't be any trouble." I told her, bowing again.

"No, don't worry about it. Have you met my husband already?"

I immediately went back to the hyperactive father and daughter and compared Komori to her somewhat emotionless mother.

"Yes." I said quickly. "He's very nice."

Her expression darkened slightly. "I suppose. Well, follow me and I'll make you some tea."

She led me to the kitchen, only a few hallways away from where I'd taken the first wrong turn. She bade me sit down at the table and I did so, afraid to disobey her.

"So you're new to town. How long have you been here?" she asked me.

"Only about half a day. I met Komori at the train station." I said, watching as she moved about the spotless white kitchen, boiling water and searching out tea bags.

"Not to be rude, but how old are you, Kumiko?" she asked.

"I'm only nineteen." I said.

She sort of smiled again. "Such a nice age. Oh, forgive me, but I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Kanae."

"That's a nice name." I told her.

"Thank you."

She brought a tray with two steaming bugs of boiling water and a small selection of tea bags. She offered me an oolong tea and I accepted it, placing it into the mug and stirring it around. She chose a lavender tea and did the same. She sat down across from me at the little table.

"I'm guessing Komori already left for cram school." Kanae remarked.

"Yes. She told me to get something to eat if I was hungry. But I sort of got lost and she left before I could notice."

Kanae chuckled slightly. "Komori." She said fondly. "She's so absentminded."

She sipped her tea and then fixed me with a piercing stare, like she was seeing right into my innermost thoughts. "So," she said. "Are you planning on staying for awhile?"

I stared at my hands.

"I had wanted to get a hotel. But Komori insisted on bringing me here. I couldn't really talk her out of it."

Kanae nodded solemnly. "I understand. I should try to warn you, Kumiko, Komori isn't exactly what I'd call normal. She's got a few issues."

"Like what?"

Kanae sighed, looking away. "We've had to hospitalize her seven times over the past year. And that was just this year, too."

I gasped without meaning to. "Why? Has she been sick?"

Kanae sipped her tea. "I wouldn't say she's sick. I'd say something was definitely wrong with her, yes, but not sick. Both she and Nanami are a little off, but she's definitely the worst of the two."

"Nanami is her cousin, right?" I ventured. Kanae nodded. "Yes. She lives with us because my little sister is too drugged up to care for her and her father was just a stupid dealer who made a little mistake with one of his clients."

"…Oh." I said, looking away. "But, Komori told me something different. She made it seem like Nanami doesn't live here."

"I know. She and Nanami don't get along at all. They live in separate wings and Nanami is so reclusive, I doubt you'll see her before you decide to move on. But if you do, try to keep your distance. Nanami's a little unpredictable."

"Uh…oh." I said—again.

Kanae stared up at the ceiling. "It's nothing to worry about. Just keep your eyes open, okay?"

I nodded and Kanae got up, pouring the rest of her tea down the sink and heading for the door.

"You're welcome to walk around the grounds, if you'd like. But be sure not to stay out past sundown. Even private properties are dangerous around here."

"All right." I said. She left then, and I was alone.

//ooo//

That night, Kanae showed me back to the guest room and then left to go work in her study somewhere on the ground floor. As I tried to go to sleep in the soft bed, I thought about Kanae had told me about Komori and Nanami. It only made me more curious than ever about Nanami's presence in the house and why she and Komori didn't get along.

Sometime ago, I'd heard Komori return and head into her room. I knew she'd gone to sleep, already. But not too long after that, I heard someone else walking around. I didn't recognize the footsteps, something I usually was pretty good at even around strangers. I got up to check it out.

When I opened my door, I saw someone standing at the top of the stairs motionless. It was too dark to see, but I could tell I hadn't met this person before. Was this Nanami, the reclusive cousin Kanae had warned me about?"

Without a word, the shadowy figure turned and descended down the stairs, footsteps gradually fading away. Slightly puzzled, I returned to bed after shutting my door and closed my eyes, trying to sleep despite all this weirdness I'd somehow gotten myself into.

A/N: Well, could that have been Nanami? Or somebody else? Only I know. (insert evil laughter) Hehehe. Please drop a review if you can. Thanks!!


End file.
